Beyond the Sea/Background Information
| }} /Credits|Credits}} /Gallery|Gallery}} /Transcript|Transcript}} /Background Information|Background Information}} }} Production *This episode originated from multiple sources, one of which was a book Co-Executive Producer Glen Morgan had recently read that contained statistics about the amount of women who have visionary encounters with deceased male family members soon after their deaths. (Starlog, issue #210, p. 63) According to fellow Co-Executive Producer and writing partner James Wong, the book "said that 75 percent of widows within three months have a vision of their husband, and 35 percent of mothers see their sons." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) *In the writing of this episode, Glen Morgan and James Wong were fueled by feeling unhappy with Scully's character development, as a lot of the scenes in previous outings seemed to instead highlight Mulder and the makers of The X-Files were receiving complaints that Scully was "uptight" and "bitchy." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 44) Deciding the fans had a point, Morgan and Wong realized it was time to evolve the Scully character, as she had been doing the same type of thing too often. (Starlog, issue #210, p. 63; Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) Said Morgan, "We needed an episode where Scully came off as something besides a wet blanket. She needed an episode where she believed." (Sci-Fi Universe, issue #10, p. 36) It was hoped, too, that focusing on the character might give the actress playing her something extra to do. Wong stated, "Gillian [Anderson] needed a show to show off her talents." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) Morgan remarked, "The intent was to produce something for Gillian to really sink her teeth into." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 44) The opportunity to write such a show came with this episode. Morgan commented, "The story provided us with a chance to deal with Scully and expand her role a bit and change the rules around." (X-Files Confidential, p. 59) Wong concluded, "This was a perfect opportunity to dispel those notions that Scully will never believe." (Starlog, issue #210, p. 63) *The episode also facilitated Glen Morgan wanting to "do a psychic thing," which resulted in the invention of the Luther Lee Boggs character. Morgan envisioned the death row facet of the episode as a way of jeopardizing Boggs, later remarking, "Capital punishment was one thing I always wanted to write about." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) *Glen Morgan and James Wong took the premise of this outing to Executive Producer Chris Carter. "They pitched me an idea .... about the death of Scully's father," Carter recollected. ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Beyond the Sea", The X-Files (season 1) DVD special features) *The executives at Fox were not excited by the idea of a struggle of wits between Scully and Luther Lee Boggs. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) Fearing it would be too similar to the film The Silence of the Lambs, the executives were initially wary of producing this episode. In hindsight, Frank Spotnitz once stated he believed the studio's and the network's early hesitance to produce the installment was an "interesting" element of its evolution. ("Beyond the Sea" introduction, The X-Files: Revelations special features) The making of the installment was vetoed twice prior to Fox okaying its production, due to the concerns the episode would be too much like The Silence of the Lambs. (Sci-Fi Universe, issue #10, p. 36) Endeavoring to quash these worries, Carter ran up to the Fox executive building. (X-Files Confidential, p. 60) "I walked into the office of Dan McDermott–then director of current programming at Fox–and told him that Jim and Glen had their own take on it," Carter attested. (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 44) At the meeting, he specifically said, "These guys believe in this episode, I believe in this episode, we've got to do this episode." (X-Files Confidential, p. 60) Casting his memory back to the incident, Morgan continued, "There were 45-minute screaming fights about where the story should go." (Sci-Fi Universe, issue #10, p. 36) Eventually, Roth agreed for Morgan and Wong to write the script. Carter recalled, "I think just the fact that I walked up there convinced him to let them go." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 44) *Hoping to escape comparisons with The Silence of the Lambs, Glen Morgan tried to keep clear of writing the episode in such a way that it would be seen as derivative of the earlier film. (X-Files Confidential, p. 59) He conceded, "Some of the executives were justified in thinking that it was like the 'Hannibal Lecter show' .... We respected that movie so much that we went out of our way to avoid any plot points that were similar." (Sci-Fi Universe, issue #10, p. 38) He and James Wong also tried to distinguish this episode from the film by making Luther Lee Boggs a "manic high-strung cracker," stated Morgan, rather than the "cool intellectual" they perceived Hannibal Lecter to be. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) *Much of the episode's family drama aspect came from Glen Morgan's personal experience, as he had been deeply affected by seeing how his mother had reacted to her father dying. "So there's a lot of that kind of thing in there, nearly word for word, from my mom," Morgan revealed. " We lost your dad,' is exactly her phone call to me, how I was told my grandpa died." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 44) *This episode was named after the song " ", which was inserted into the episode. ( ) "That was Glen Morgan, I believe, looking for a song that would play against the mood of that funeral," stated Chris Carter. ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Beyond the Sea", The X-Files (season 1) DVD special features) *When devising the "kiss" and "kill" tattoos on Luther Lee Boggs' knuckles, Glen Morgan was thinking about – in the back of his mind – similar tattoos worn by Robert Mitchum's character Harry Powell in . Though those tattoos read "love" and "hate", Morgan took the words on Boggs' hands from a song called "We're Desperate" by the band . "There's a lyric which says, 'It's kiss or kill, " explained Morgan. "I was trying to think of something other than love or hate and I thought that was kind of neat." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) *This episode's script went through three drafts. These were dated 15th, 19 and 23 November 1993. *The oceanside funeral where mourners watch from the shore as William Scully's ashes are scattered at sea was filmed at Garry Point Park, Steveston. The boathouse where Mulder is shot down was also in Steveston, at Heritage Shipyard, 12451 Westwater Drive. (X Marks the Spot (On Location with The X-Files), p. 41) *Co-Executive Producer R.W. Goodwin, who supervised production, considered his assignment on this episode to not be particularly noteworthy. He described it as, "One of those episodes where a guy in my position just has to get the sets built, stick the actors in, let the director do his job and let the actors do theirs." (X-Files Confidential, pp. 59 & 60) *In a scene near the start of this episode, Scully apparently sees her father silently mouthing words. However, actor Don Davis actually recited the Lord's Prayer while the scene was being filmed. ( , p. 131) *David Nutter believed his own role in this installment was minimal. He remembered, "My job there was to create a setting where Dourif ... could be what he really wanted to be. I would just tweak this and that, but basically I let him have the stage. In a sense, it was a static episode and it was important to let his performance be the moving element." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) *The funeral scene was shot in very windy weather conditions. The wind was so strong that R.W. Goodwin requested a special warming tent be positioned near the set, to shelter his wife Sheila Larken, who played Margaret Scully. (X Marks the Spot (On Location with The X-Files), p. 41) *The shooting company later moved to Britannia Heritage Shipyard, intending to resume filming in the blustery cold. Since propane heaters were not allowed in the shipyard due to the timber structures and heritage nature of the area, the crew huddled around an old wood-burning stove in a small room, telling stories and drinking a lot of hot chocolate. The on-site liaison kept the fire burning throughout the crew's time there. (X Marks the Spot (On Location with The X-Files), p. 41) Continuity *This installment established some considerably new facets of Scully's personality. Observed David Nutter, "I think it brought a lot of dimension to Scully .... It also allowed us to explore the emotional side of things, which we don't talk that much about." (X-Files Confidential, pp. 59–60) Frank Spotnitz offered, "It was unique because it was Scully experiencing something paranormal for the first time – Scully, the skeptic, being shaken by her exposure to something disturbing and undeniable .... And it deepened your understanding of Scully and, you know, the role of a medical doctor in the FBI and the disapproval her father had for that career choice." ("Beyond the Sea" introduction, The X-Files: Revelations special features) ( ) explained that, in this episode, Scully "comes to terms with ... for the first time, the possibility that not only do psychic phenomena exist, but that she may exhibit some paranormal powers of her own." *This episode marks the first appearances of Dana Scully's parents, Margaret and William Scully. Hence, Chris Carter thought the death of Scully's father "is a big leap." ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Beyond the Sea", The X-Files (season 1) DVD special features) Margaret Scully ultimately appeared in fourteen subsequent episodes of The X-Files, appearing in virtually every season of the series, with the exceptions of Seasons 6 and 7. However, William Scully only appears in two other episodes of the series, Season 2's "One Breath" and Season 7's "all things", appearing – in the latter of these two episodes – only briefly, in archive footage from "One Breath". Trivia *Two murderous characters in this episode, Lucas Henry and Luther Lee Boggs, have similar names to that of actual serial killer . ( , p. 131) *In the scene of this episode that is set in Mulder's office, a hat can be seen on a coat-rack from where Mulder takes his jacket as he leaves the room. This hat is emblazoned with the letters "NICAP" and bears a striking resemblance to a hat Max Fenig wears in the earlier Season 1 episode "Fallen Angel". NICAP (National Investigations Committee of Aerial Phenomena, the name was slightly edited for the show) was a real UFO investigatory non-profit that was well-respected at the time, despite disbanding and dissolving as an organized group in 1980 after the release of the famous Condon Report. Reception *Glen Morgan observed that, despite the passionate debates about how this episode would end up, "everyone seemed to like it" once its script was submitted. Morgan himself enjoyed the episode's production. "To see those dailies and to have this stuff we wrote coming out ten times better than we imagined it was amazing," he enthused. (Sci-Fi Universe, issue #10, p. 38) Although he was usually uncomfortable with talking about his own work, Morgan further admitted, "I am proud of this episode .... I just thought that Brad Dourif and Gillian's performances were great, and David Nutter did a great job directing." (X-Files Confidential, p. 59) Morgan and James Wong cited this, in fact, as their favorite episode from all the ones they wrote for the first season (also including second season première "Little Green Men"), thinking of it as an example of how to mix character development with an absorbing storyline. (Starlog, issue #210, pp. 62 & 63) This was Morgan's favorite installment from the ones he collaborated on with Wong during not only the first season but also the second. He concluded, "Everything just paid off really nicely. That was far and away the best." (Sci-Fi Universe, issue #10, p. 38) For his part, Wong called this installment "one of those brilliant episodes." ("Behind the Truth: Beyond the Sea", TXF Season 1 DVD special features) *David Nutter was thrilled with this installment. "To me, I think it's the most accomplished piece of directing of actors I have been able to do," he remarked. "I thought Brad Dourif was brilliant .... To me it's right up there with 'Ice'. Certainly one of the most enjoyable shows I did." (X-Files Confidential, pp. 59 & 60) As for Gillian Anderson's contribution to this outing, Nutter enthused, "I was also very happy with the work that Gillian and I did together. I thought she really proved herself to be quite a talented actress." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 42) *Los Angeles Casting Director Rick Millikan also approved of Gillian Anderson's performance herein. "She was so good in that episode," he opined. ("Behind the Truth: Beyond the Sea", TXF Season 1 DVD special features) *Chris Carter extremely liked this episode ever since Glen Morgan and James Wong pitched it to him. ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Beyond the Sea", The X-Files (season 1) DVD special features) Carter's certainty this would be a great episode was what inspired him to run up to the Fox executive building and make an appeal for it to be made. Carter enthusiastically termed it, "My favorite episode of the first year and one of my favorites overall, flipping the Mulder and Scully points of view." (X-Files Confidential, p. 60) He specified this installment as being joint lead in his favorite episodes from Season 1 (along with "Ice"). ("The Truth About Season One", The X-Files (season 1) DVD special features) Carter even once described this outing as being "among the best episodes we've done, ever." ("Beyond the Sea" introduction, The X-Files: Revelations special features) Carter also termed it "great and unforgettable." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 21) He clarified his love of this episode was "for a number of reasons" and went on to say, "The channelling of Scully's dead father through this death row prisoner, I felt, was a really interesting way to turn the tables on the characters." For Carter, other highlights were Brad Dourif's performance as Luther Lee Boggs and the use of the song "Beyond the Sea". Of the latter facet, Carter remarked, "It was, I thought, a really eerie song to have playing over a funeral." ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Beyond the Sea", The X-Files (season 1) DVD special features) According to Carter, this episode had a notable impact on The X-Files in general, demonstrating the potential of the series to its producers and writers. ("Beyond the Sea" introduction, The X-Files: Revelations special features) *R.W. Goodwin similarly held this installment in enormously high esteem. "The whole thing was spellbinding," he raved. (X-Files Confidential, p. 60) *Frank Spotnitz was likewise highly impressed by this episode. Discussing the ground-breaking nature of the episode's content, he stated, "I think it was a breakthrough episode for Gillian Anderson. It really showed what she was capable of doing; it was the first of many, many incredible performances that showed the range Gillian has as an actress .... And it had this wonderful, personal story about a father and a daughter." Spotnitz cited the scene wherein "Luther Lee Boggs is walking to meet his death and he's seeing all the victims whose lives he's claimed" as a notable example of many "amazing scenes" in the episode as well as "a great performance." Spotnitz also remarked about this outing, "You know, while the parallels [to ''The Silence of the Lambs] are there, it clearly stands on its own." ("Beyond the Sea" introduction, ''The X-Files: Revelations special features) *This episode achieved a Nielsen household rating of 6.6, with an audience share of 11. This means that roughly 6.6 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 6.2 million households. ( , p. 248) *In ( ), this was incorrectly cited as having been the only Season 1 episode not aired by the BBC during the season's initial run by that UK broadcaster. Features Editor Dave Hughes was responsible for this blunder and the magazine received a large number of letters about the error. ( ) *This episode had a notable impact on viewers of The X-Files. David Nutter regarded the outing as having been successful at winning viewers over to the character of Scully. "I think this episode really made a difference in how the audience looks at Scully," he reckoned. (X-Files Confidential, p. 59) Chris Carter pointed out that the episode showed fans of The X-Files "what the show could be." ("Beyond the Sea" introduction, The X-Files: Revelations special features) *''Cinefantastique'' (Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) scores this episode 4 out of 4 stars. The magazine comments, "Gillian Anderson and Scully come into their own in this first-rate script by Glen Morgan and James Wong .... Director David Nutter drew scorching performances from Dourif, and a deeply moving one from Anderson ... and his orchestration of the prison confrontations is masterful. The shot where the door closes behind Anderson, leaving Dourif centered perfectly in a narrow windowframe is quite unforgettable. The teaser is a study in how to communicate family tensions and emotions not spelled out in dialogue. Don Davis and Sheila Larken as William and Margaret Scully make an indelible impression." Cinefantastique also describes the twist of having Mulder become the skeptic and Scully the believer as "fascinating." * ( ) describes this as "arguably the best episode of the first season." The magazine also remarks it is "all the more effective for the casting of genre veteran Brad Dourif" and that "Gillian Anderson shines under the spotlight." *In his reference book , writer Robert Shearman rated this episode 5 out of 5 stars. He critiqued, "Beyond the Sea's greatest fault is that it is so much more ambitious and thoughtful and affecting than anything we have seen in the series previously. As a result, it hardly seems to be the same show. The culture shock is extraordinary. It's as if a well-meaning and occasionally scary programme about aliens has been given a shot in the arm – and a shot in the brain too. It's such an advance in quality that it jars .... It feels like an act of bravado ... [at a time when The X-Files seemed] ripe for cancellation .... 'Beyond the Sea' is ... an act of creative fervour, a cry that if the show is going to go down, then it'll go down with something exceptional. What Morgan and Wong have done here is taken the ambiguity of the series and put it centre stage .... The choice that Scully is given at the end – between closure or further ambiguity – is the making of her as a rounded character .... It's also a moment which is the making of the series itself – the acceptance that the beauty of the unexplained is that sometimes it just remains unexplained .... This is brilliantly plotted – awash with all sorts of moral dilemmas about state execution and the nature of faith – and subtly disturbing .... 'Beyond the Sea' is one of those times where The X-Files touches genius. As the series lurches onward in its quest for an identity, it is the fact that this story exists, that it can be capable of a drama so profound, that gives you reason to believe it will find one." Shearman additionally praised the performances delivered by Gillian Anderson and Brad Dourif in this installment. Cast and Characters *Glen Morgan believed an important casting choice for this episode was Brad Dourif. The role of Luther Lee Boggs nearly didn't go to Dourif, though, due to a dispute over finances required to hire him. "If you had someone crummy in there, that's where the show would have fallen apart," Morgan speculated. (X-Files Confidential, p. 59) *Gillian Anderson was pleased at the depth of emotion this episode's script afforded her character. She has consequently included the episode among her personal favorites of The X-Files. ( , p. 131) Anderson reflected, "I remember getting the script and realizing that it was the first time that I really had some real material to work with. I remember sitting down with Director David Nutter and going through the different beats and the points and the emotional arc and wanting very much to get it right." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 44) Although Nutter thought Anderson was relatively inexperienced before performing in this episode, he also thought doing so was an important step for her. He said, "I very much enjoyed working with Gillian on the show ... and for her as a person it definitely had a lot of impact." (X-Files Confidential, pp. 59 & 60) *Like Anderson, David Duchovny approved of this episode, too. Glen Morgan relayed, "I was on the set first season once when Duchovny was talking about the episode 'Beyond the Sea' and he said, 'That was a pretty good episode. " (X-Files Confidential, p. 90) *David Duchovny and William Scully actor Don Davis had both previously starred in the early 1990s television series . Category:TXF Season 1 episodes